High Estrogen Levels & Hysterectomy

Hi all! I am a soon-to-be 50 year old with a complete abdominal hysterectomy scheduled for May 14. I am currently taking tamoxifen due to atypical ductal hyperplasia (breasts), have cysts on both my ovaries, and over the past 12 months have been battling very high estrogen levels. Because of the tamoxifen I have been unable to take meds to lower the estrogen, which has been causing frequent, heavy periods (2 a month lasting 7-8 days each), migraine headaches most days, water retention and weight gain, lack of energy, PMS mood swings, etc. I am a bit scared about what I will be undergoing in May, and am very concerned about the effects afterwards (hitting menopause like a brick wall without being able to take hormone replacements due to the tamoxifen). I'm hoping that there is someone out there who may have/had experienced a similar situation.

Thanking you in advance...

I am 46 now and have been on tamoxifen for the last five years,I had breast cancer and I had a tah on Feb 6th because I didn't go into menopause and opted to go total instead of just ovaries. I have not had any additional effects from the induced menopause except night sweats have gotten where they occur more often. I came through the surgery with no problems and have started doing almost everything again. I believe that exercise and eating right are keys to help deal naturally with these and I know they will only get better with time. I am not taking anything and it really isn't that bad, I hope all goes well for you and that you have the same results.

I also had high estrogen levels before the surgery; not sure what they are now. I expect they are still high as a womans body fat storage estrogen and I am very well padded.
I can not take hormones due to the fact I had cancer. As far as menopause goes I have had a couple of mini hot flashes at night but nothing like what a lot of women describe. I don't get the upperbody hot flash, usually its a whole body experience.

Thank you so much for your response! I have been on the tamoxifen for almost 3 years, and other than the initial side effects of night sweats, hot flashes, and leg cramps at night, I am really not experiencing side effects at all. I know that the TAH is the right thing to do, and I have been reading Menopause without Medicine, which has been helpful. Over the past year I have lost 50 pounds to get back into shape, and know that it will be a challenge to make sure I keep extra weight off. Right now I am trying to be as fit as possible (exercise, responsible diet, vitamins, sleep) before the surgery so I can tackle the residual head-on. I really appreciate hearing from you, it helps me feel much better about the outcome and to know that you were able to handle the move to menopause without meds just fine. I look forward to chatting with you more in the future...this is a wonderful forum for Hyster ladies!